The Direct Measurement of Magnetically Induced Optical Rotation in Atomic Vapors

Abstract

A new instrument has been developed for directly monitoring magnetically induced optical rotation in atomic vapors. The polarization rotation induced by the atomic vapor is measured by manually rotating one of the polarizers until a minimum in transmitted intensity is recorded. The angle of this rotation is then linear with analyte concentration. Detection limits for Ag, Ca, Cu, and Li are comparable to those reported for atomic absorption spectrometry under similar analysis conditions. The new measurement approach enjoys relative immunity from background spectral interferences caused by molecular absorption and scattering.